There exists a need for developing a micro/nano manufacturing process that has the ability to fabricate selective features at both the micro and nano scale. Also, such processes should be able to build multi-material features at scalable lengths (nano to micro scale ranges) extemporaneously.
The ability to fabricate structures from the micro to the nano-scale with varied geometry and high precision in a wide variety of materials is important in advancing the practical impact of micro and nano-technology.
Manufacturing of micro and nano-sized features has been achieved by using both contact and non-contact based technologies. However, when contact based technology is used, there is a possibility of contamination of the substrate from the tools. In addition, most known processes involve pre and post processing operations that are time consuming and may release hazardous material. Non-contact based processes, such as Pulse Laser Deposition (PLD) and Magnetron Sputtering, usually involve masking and may not be able to build selective features when needed.